The character of Roy Cropper was first introduced in 1995 when
a new location was brought into the Street. The flats in Crimea
Street were purchased by Mike Baldwin
and Roy Cropper was a resident at the time of purchase. Originally,
Roy lived in the top flat.

Roy appears to have had an unhappy childhood. His father, a
french polisher, walked out on his mother when he was 10, and
didn't get in touch for 8 years. He had sold the family car, cashed
in insurances and started a new life in New Zealand. The young
Roy took this very badly, and even though his mother and father
have both re-married he still feels deeply about it. Roy hated
his stepfather and left eventually home to fend for himself.

Roy was summed up by Mike Baldwin as, 'A bit of a nutter, but
harmless enough'. Indeed, this would be most peoples initial summary,
as Roy has the look and manner of the archetypal 'anorak', with
his beige anorak, scarf, green woollen gloves and omnipresent
shopping bag with key attached by tape, but his awkward social
manner belies his sensitive and intelligent soul. His keen interest
in the well being of his fellow man is easily mistaken for nosiness.
Indeed, he was almost evicted from the flats for pestering Deirdre
Rachid when he was worried about her welfare.

He has also displayed a caring attitude to both young Jamie
Armstrong and Liz McDonald
after she was beaten up by Jim. Jamie's mum, Tricia
Armstrong took advantage of Roy's helpful nature and persuaded
to buy her television set, even though he didn't want one, when
she was caught without a TV licence. Roy has also helped Jamie
with his maths homework (Roy is a bit of a whizz at maths).

Roy's flat was a wonder to behold - lots of beige and browns
and dimly lit, with a book on the Titanic with a hundredweight
of post it notes attached, and a fully assembled and painted Airfix
Saturn V rocket.

Roy has a keen interest in the paranormal and volunteered his
services when the Rovers was being 'haunted' by the ghost of Ivy Brennan.

Although Roy could be peceived as simple by some people, he
is nobody's fool. He got the better of a minicab driver who tried
to rip him off, and has an excellent recipe for fried bread .
He was, in fact, in charge of fried bread at the Imperial Hotel
(Paint fat on the bread with a paintbrush and then do it under
the grill) and also helped out at Jim's Cafe in Rosamund Street.

In summer 1997, Mike Baldwin needed capital to continue with
his factory, and so his wife, Alma,
offered to sell her share in the café. The simultaneous
sale of Crimea Flats and Jim's Cafe by the businesslike baldwins
almost left Roy homeless and jobless. But although he had never
given the impression of being a man of the world, he had a hidden
fortune in the building society. Alma was set to sell to pizza
chain Pizza Heaven, and dismissed an offer from Roy, believing
him mentally incompetent. But when Gail
Platt pleaded with her she relented and Roy bought her share
for £35,000. The cafe was renamed "Roy's Rolls"
and Roy moved into the upstairs flat. The next seven months saw
Roy's full-time involvement as cafe owner and a major role in
the "Red Rec" enviromental protest with Spider
Nugent, and a higher profile in the Street.

A major chapter opened in Roy's life when, in February 1998,
he was introduced by Alma to Hayley
Patterson, her co-worker at Firman's Freezers, with whom he
instantly found a rapport. Like himself, she was rather shy and
naive, and they found they had a lot in common. After a few hesitant
dates, it was clear they were made for each other and Roy made
his first tentative attempts at telling her how he felt. He could
not have been less prepared when, at an intimate dinner at the
cafe one night, Hayley revealed that she was a transsexual; born
a boy, and still to have final surgery to make her into a proper
female.

Roy reacted badly initially, by rejecting Hayley and going
into a depression. Alma, who had also been let into Hayley's secret,
intervened and Roy, by now missing his companion, decided he was
hasty and made up with her, albeit on a "friends-only basis".
Their relationship continued, and grew warmer again, until Hayley
came into an inheritance and left to have her operation. Roy,
unable to articulate how he REALLY felt about her, bought her
goodbye present; a book about "Automotive Engines" (one
of their mutual interests!). But inside was a beautiful silver
locket; a token of his true feelings. Hayley was speechless with
emotion and said a tearful farewell. After she left, Roy was a
little depressed, and was clearly missing her badly.

At the end of June, he unexpectedly received a letter from
Hayley, who was living in Amsterdam following her surgery. After
some encouragement from Alma and Gail, he decided to visit her,
and possibly ask her to come back to Weatherfield. Flying abroad
for the first time in his life, he found her living on a houseboat
in Amsterdam, looking full of life and with his locket always
around her neck. He spent some time with her, and tried to pluck
up the courage to ask her to return with him, but ultimately failed.
Unable to express his feelings, he left her a present of a watch,
which gave Hayley the sign she needed to make the decision to
accompany him back to Weatherfield.

When Hayley was looking for a new house, Gail Platt dropped
some big hints to Roy that what she really wanted was to move
in with him, and so, taking a chance, he asked her to live with
him and was pleased when she gladly accepted. Gone were the Humbrol
paints and the usual debris of a batchelor pad as Roy made his
little flat a home sweet home for two. (The Saturn V rocket found
a new home on his bedside cabinet!)

Nervous of a physical relationship that might ensure from such
a liason, he slept the first night on a camp bed. On a spur of
the moment he proposed to Hayley, who had to tearfully decline,
due to the legal situation surrounding transexuals. Undeterred,
he made his mind up to progress the situation, and, after both
of them admitting they were "pure as the driven snow!",
they finally sealed their relationship.

Sickened by Mike Baldwin's continued goading of the woman he
loved, Roy soaked Mike with beer in the Rovers but this only accelerated
the situation. Mike continually threatened to tell the factory
girls about Hayley's past. Roy was terrified what people would
think about it all and begged Hayley to leave, but she seemed
determined to tell all and be damned.

Roy discovered that Hayley had done so when Martin
Platt asked Roy straight out in the cafe as to whether it
was true that Hayley was a transsexual. Roy admitted that it was,
and although the Platts were very supportive, he was humiliated,
angry and hurt that Hayley seemed not have thought of his feelings
on the matter, and told her so when she returned home that day.
To his embarrassment, Roy found that he, too, was subject to the
Street gossip. After some arguements, Hayley threatened to leave
Weatherfield, and Roy realised that he couldn't bear to part over
the issue, so he pledged to stand by her.

In November 1998, Roy and Hayley tried some different hobbies,
and tried Spanish, Life Art (with Nick
Tilsley as a model!) and amateur dramatics. Roy found to his
dismay that, unlike Hayley, he had no talent for any of these
pursuits.

He also received an offer from the bike shop next door to the
cafe for the lease. Gail was unwilling to support such a change
and, needing the money after a crisis with Martin's job, sold
her share in the cafe to Hayley, leaving the way clear for Roy
to find new premises for the cafe. He spent the next few months
planning the move and engaged Steve
McDonald to carry out the refurbishment work on the Victoria
Street shop.

As their first Christmas together approached, Hayley told a
disappointed Roy that she had to spend Christmas Day with her
lonely Aunty Monica, so they had their Christmas dinner five days
early and toasted to their future happiness.

When Hayley was put in charge of the Underworld Valentine's
Day Disco, Roy was scared to go because he couldn't dance, so
he took some dancing lessons in the evenings, but was horrified
to find that Hayley had discovered his subterfuge. He was deeply
upset when Hayley turned up at the instructor's house, looking
through the window. She had not believed him, and Roy was hurt.
A coldness grew between them.

After a talking-to by Alma, Roy realised how much she did care,
and so did go to the disco, dressed as John Travolta. He used
his lessons to great effect, sweeping Hayley off her feet and
closed the evening by proposing to her with his grandmother's
engagement. She happily accepted! The news was received by the
Street residents with mixed emotions, and when they went to see
a vicar, he refused to marry them, quoting the bible. Hayley was
bitter, and Roy was disappointed but he was still determined to
find a way.

The new cafe was almost ready, and Roy's Rolls, nee Dawson's,
nee Jim's cafe, was formally closed by Gail, Audrey, Alma, Roy
and Hayley on the 19 February 1999.

The new cafe on Victoria Street was ready to open, but when
he came down from the flat, he found the cafe flooded by a burst
pipe! Roy was furious and distraught and blamed Steve McDonald
for the mess. After some temporary arrangements involving a hot
dog machine, the new Roy's Rolls opened for business on the 26
February and was a roaring success.

The couple's wedding plans took a step forward when they met
Jessica Lundy, the temporary
lady curate for St Paul's, and after some deliberation, she agreed
to marry them. Roy and Hayley made their plans, with only three
weeks in hand. Spider and Curly got Roy very drunk on his stag
night!

They made it to the church on the 21 April 1999, only to be
foiled by Les Battersby, who
had tipped off the press and was keen to see the wedding plastered
over the papers. A devastated Roy and Hayley returned to the cafe,
thinking the ceremony a washout, but, after a moment of inspiration
from Roy, they were married in the cafe, with all their friends
and family beside them. During the reception, Hayley revealed
to Roy she had changed her name by Deed Poll and was now Hayley
Cropper.

Mr and Mrs Cropper left for their honeymoon in York (home of
the railway museums!), amidst much jubilation and happiness.

After a quiet summer, the Croppers joined the Weatherfield
First Aiders and allowed them to use the Cafe as their meeting
place for a few weeks. Their new training came into action at
the Freshco-sponsored Bonfire Night on the Red Rec, when the main
Freshco rocket landed on the roof of the First-Aid tent. Roy and
Hayley managed to pull Lester, the first-aid trainer and Audrey
Roberts to safety when the tent caught fire.

On seeing the council's inadequate provision for Millennium
celebrations, Roy decided to try and encourage the locals to mount
their own Street party, and was reluctantly voted chairman of
the organising committee. After the usual last-minute panics and
typical exasperation, everything came together beautifully and
he became the hero of the day for organising a superb Millennium
party. He came to the fancy dress party dressed as Edmund Arkwright,
who apparantly "invented the bevelled flange which revolutionised
the northern cotton milling industry".